[2050 - Base 101, Tongass National Forest, Alaska]
They invaded...
Gunfire echoes in the distance.
"Damn it… they found us again."
An explosion shakes the ground.
"Command, area F has been completely overrun, repea—"
A shot cuts the transmission short, piercing through his chest and extinguishing any trace of life.
Meanwhile...
So, this is the end, isn't it?
I reach into my pocket, pulling out a photo. A bitter smile crosses my face as I see that face one last time, muffled by the screams and explosions around me.
Looks like I lied… once again. Sorry, but...
I whisper as if she could hear me, as if she were by my side.
…I won't be able to come back this time.
The end was always written.
No matter how hard we fought, how much we planned… they were always...
...one step ahead.
Leaning against the wall, I gather my last bit of strength to stand. I reload my pistol with the final magazine.
we lost...
My hand slides down to the wound in my stomach, stained red. Looks like those bastards hit an artery.
…Shit.
Using the wall for cover, I start firing at any movement in the dimly lit room.
We lost...
We lost miserably, in fact.
"We need reinforcements! There are too ma—"
We lost our home.
"Grenade launched!"
We lost our family, our friends.
Another explosion shakes the room.
We lost everything.
AHHHHHHH!
I see Tony, our medic, rushing toward the enemy, pulling the pin from a grenade and... Boom.
"Arthur?"
I turn toward the voice calling me.
Caleb...
One of the few I called a brother in the midst of this hellish war.
...You look like shit.
I laugh lightly as he replies:
"You're not any better."
We both know we're going to die today, but...
"After this… let's grab a beer."
I drop the empty pistol to the ground.
Sure... but this time you're buying.
I look at him.
So it's a promi—
A shot cuts off his words, and his blood splatters on my face. His body falls, lifeless.
My breathing becomes heavy. As I hold my last grenade.
Fuck you all...
Humans... lost.
BOOM.
--------
[2026 - New York]
Sound of an alarm clock.
Hm?
I reach out and turn off the alarm.
Damn... just five more minutes.
There's a knock on my bedroom door.
"Son? Time to get up, you're going to be late for school."
With a grunt, I drag myself out of bed. The faint morning light floods the room as I open my eyes. The white ceiling seems to swallow me for a moment, until the feeling of being back at that base starts to fade. I take a deep breath, still smelling gunpowder and hearing the echoes of explosions in my head.
I slowly get up, looking at the mirror next to the bed.
Was all of that... real?
I shake my head
Impossible... Maybe I should stop playing CoD for a while.
I head downstairs, and the TV in the living room is on. The news is on, but the reporter looks bored.
— And in other news, scientists reported another one of those… "anomalies" in the Arctic Circle. Nothing confirmed yet, but some say it could just be satellite interference. We'll wait for more details.
He moves on to another topic, but something about those words strikes me. "Anomalies..."
A flash hits me. Distant images flicker in my mind: explosions, screams, the sky filled with ships that crashed directly to Earth. My breath catches for a second. Then, it's gone.
I lean against the kitchen counter, panting. What exactly was that?
The TV is now talking about a local festival. I try to ignore the discomfort, but that feeling lingers. Something is coming, I know it… though I don't know why.
"arthur… Arthur... Arthur!"
I snap out of my daze to see my mom holding my shoulder
"Son, are you okay?"
My eyes meet hers, worried, and I smile to reassure her
I'm fine, Mom.
Mom: "Are you sure? You look pale, honey. Maybe I should take you to the hospital…"
I grab her hand
No need, Mom. I swear, I'm fine.
I kiss her cheek and grab my toast
I've got to go now, or I'll be late. Bye-bye.
Arthur opens the door and head out, waiting for the school bus
Am I… hallucinating?
Sitting on a bench, I take out my phone and start scrolling through the news until one headline catches my attention
"The end of humanity is drawing closer, and the culprit has a name: NASA."
open the article…
NASA has been heavily investing in building satellites and antennas capable of discovering life beyond Earth, while sending countless messages into space in search of a response. Curiosity is fine, but we should always be cautious with the unknown... this is directly giving away the direction/coordinates of where we are... we are gambling, and the problem with this gamble is that the stakes are too high… where we could lose everything.
whisper: lose everything...
The phrase echoes in my mind, laden with an inexplicable nostalgia.
Before I could think more, the school bus stopped in front of me, prompting me and the students around to start boarding, and as I stepped in...
"Hahaha! The Lakers won, idiot! Like I said, LeBron never disappoints…"
"Girl, you won't believe it… Brad asked me to prom!"
I sit down on one of the seats until someone throws their arms around my shoulders and shouts:
Buddyyyy!!!
I push his face away from mine with my hand
Damn, man, I just woke up.
But even so, he doesn't back off.
"Dude, you won't believe it… I asked Jenna to prom, and guess what!"
A smile appears on my face, seeing how proud and happy he seems.
She said she'd rather go with a skunk than with you?
He punches my shoulder playfully.
She said yes, idiot. How could anyone reject the great and handsome me?
We laugh together.
I know plenty who could and already have.
"Tch, I smell jealousy on you, so I'll let it slide this time."
He stares at me for a second, laughing.
"But what about you? Have you asked Emma to go with you yet?"
My eyes instinctively go to the girl sitting ahead. Her blonde hair dances in the wind, and her green eyes shine like emeralds, captivating… as always.
No, not yet.
He sighs.
"What are you waiting for, man? If you don't hurry, someone else will ask her…"
I-
---Flashback---
"You know that night..."
I look at her as we're in the lab on the base.
What night?
She looks at me.
"The night of the prom… I was hoping you'd ask me."
I look surprised.
Really?
She nods.
"Yeah. I always had a crush on you in high school. But since you didn't ask me…"
She grabs a vial and mixes it with another.
...You went with Andy.
---Flashback---
Man, I seriously don't get you. If I had your looks, I'd go after all of them… You're…
I get up from my seat and walk over to her, leaving him talking to himself.
Emma?
I don't know what's happening to me.
Emma: Yes, Arthur?
I don't know if this is real or not.
Do you already have someone to go to prom with?
But if this is real...
Emma: N-No… I don't. Why?
Her cheeks flush, making my heart race.
'cause I want to ask you to go with me.
Then I want to change everything, with no regrets.
-----
Before diving fully into the alien apocalypse theme, I want to develop the characters a bit, so it's going to take a while before the invasion really starts.
As you may have noticed, Arthur doesn't remember everything yet, and that will come with time. Some of you might be wondering, "The world is ending, but he's more worried about asking a girl to prom?" Relax, he doesn't know exactly what's happening or what's coming yet. In future chapters, he'll start to take things more seriously as he remembers more of what's ahead.
If you like the book, please support it with power stones and leave your feedback on what you thought of it and what I could possibly improve. Thank you for everything. Bye-bye.